Using Antidepressants During Pregnancy

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Depression is a common illness in women and seems to strike about one in ten females at some point in their life, if not more (some depressions go unreported or ease on their own over time). There’s no good time for depression to occur, and one large dilemma that faces women is having a depression and becoming pregnant or being diagnosed during a pregnancy. Women are constantly cautioned against taking medication while they are expecting, but depression is a serious illness that sometimes requires prescription anti-depressants. Not only that, the information about the effects of anti-depressants on unborn babies hasn’t been confirmed and researchers are still studying the matter.

Suddenly halting antidepressant use can have a serious effect on a person. Plunging into profound depression is a high risk of stopping medication abruptly, and anyone taking antidepressants is constantly warned not to put aside their pills without first consulting a doctor and following a careful plan to wean off the medication. Risking suicidal thoughts or severe depression most often outweighs the risk to baby’s health, as one is greater than the other. For sure, this places pregnant women in a situation full of worry. If they don’t stop their medication, will baby be safe? Will there be long-term consequences to their child because of antidepressant use during pregnancy?

The answers on the effects of mood-altering prescription medication during pregnancy aren’t yet clear enough to help women make concise decisions. Doctors to tend to agree that a depressed woman who is expecting can be unhealthy, which means that baby does end up suffering. A depressed mother can lose weight, sleep too much, be sedentary and lack taking steps to ensure personal care, as well as being suicidal. Pregnant women need to be able to take care of themselves and their baby and make clear, responsible choices, a difficult thing to do when depression seizes their life.

Antidepressant medication and pregnancy need to be weighed carefully, risk versus risk. Most medications on the market today have shown some adverse effects on unborn babies and the deeper scientists plunge, the less the outlook for antidepressants seems positive. Paxil has been linked to heart defects when taken in the first three months of pregnancy and Prozac has shown to be correlated to a rare but serious lung problem when used in the latter months. Tricyclic medication is definitely one that has shown to have adverse effects on fetuses and doctors stay away from this type of antidepressant when a pregnant woman is concerned.

Having to weigh the pros and cons of your own health versus your baby’s is extremely difficult. Many women have, however, effectively worked together with their doctor to find a plan for dealing with depression during pregnancy and some have certainly opted to take medication during that time of their lives. Your doctor may be able to help you find alternative methods of dealing with your illness that doesn’t involve medication or will monitor you closely throughout your term should you have to stay on antidepressants.